Xenomorph
A Xenomorph, also referred to as the Alien, is a savage Alien creature that has been known to inhabit the planet LV-426. Overview The first of the Xenomorphs, known as The Alien, made an appearance in the first film in the Alien franchise, Alien, and later on in it's sequels Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, and finally in the franchise's prequel Prometheus as a half-Engineer, half-Trilobite creature known as the Deacon. The Xenomorphs also made two appearances in two crossover films, Alien vs. Predator and it's sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, along with the early Aliens vs. Predator Dark Horse comic books, where they are the enemy of the Predator species. The Xenomorphs have been known to spawn from living beings and organic life. Most Xenomorphs spawn from humans. But in the case of the film Alien 3 the Xenomorph spawns from a dog, which causes the aggressiveness level of it to increase due to its lack of human intelligence. A baby Xenomorph is called a Chestburster since they spawn from human chests after the human is attacked by a Xenomorph offspring called a Facehugger. Design The original design for the Xenomorph creature was created by the artist H. R. Giger. Giger's original design for the Xenomorph was nicknamed The Alien in the first film of the Alien series, Alien. The overall key appearance of the Xenomorph is most likely a cross between a bio-mechanical creature and an organic life form. However, this was assumed before the truth of the creature's origin was revealed in the 2012 film Prometheus''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_(film). The idea for the Xenomorph's internal jaw may come from the idea that the creature is two species combined, or simply just an idea created by Giger. Characteristics Appearance The key appearance of the Xenomorph is a cross between a bio-mechanical and organic creature with mostly black and grey skin. The head of the creature most often appears long and extend, while curved downward almost like a hot dog. However, due to the shape of the Xenomorph's head and upper body, they would need tails like they already have in order to stand up right. Without the tails, the creatures would never be able to stand up. However the first version of the Xenomorph called a Lurker has a more human-like posture than more recent versions of the creatures such as the Drones. The Queens however, are almost dinosaur-like and would never be able to stand upright in the real world. This is believed to be the main reason why the creatures have tails. In some cases, the Warrior Xenomorphs have fingers that appear as if they are two fingers connected together. All Xenomorphs (except for the Deacon) have wire-like tubes around their bodies which are most likely the mechanical part of their bodies. The appearance of the Xenomorph can vary from film to film. In the first film ''Alien, the creature appeared more human-like with shorter claws and a more human posture. In would seem that as the films continue, they become less human-like. This could be a sign of their evolution since they where (according to Prometheus) created with some human DNA and are still evolving. Blood The blood of the Xenomorph species is general concentrated acid that is capable of melting and burning through nearly any material. The acid is light green in color and bubbles when it is exposed to oxygen. In the film Alien, the acid blood in a Facehugger is revealed when the Nostromo's scientists try to cut of one of it's legs to remove it from Kane's face. As to how the species can survive with acid in their veins is still unknown. Life cycle The life cycle of a Xenomorph begins as an egg lied by a Queen from a large egg sack. A creature known as a Facehugger will eventually hatch from the egg and attack a host. The Facehugger will remain attached to the host's face for a period of time while providing the host with oxygen as it implants a Chestburster through the host's throat and into the host's chest. The Chestburster will spend a period of time in the host's chest before violently bursting from the chest, which causes the host to die just seconds later. The Chestburster will usually spend a period of time in hiding to protect itself from other life forms that can overcome the Chestburster. The Chestburster will soon later shed it's skin and grow into a mature Xenomorph. In the creature's mature form, it can overpower nearly any other life form and will begin to seek out pray. The Xenomorph's skin will start to darken (according to Giger) and will only survive for a short period of time''Alien'' DVD audio comentary. The specific time that the creature can remain alive is still unknown. However, some Xenomorphs have been known live to be Queens. References